Neurotransmission
What is GABA?
an inhibitory neurotransmitter of the central nervous system
What is the definition of sleep?
A readily reversible state of reduced responsiveness to the external environment
What does the dTrpA1 gene encode?
temperature sensitive non-specific cation channel
What are the three neural circuits for sleep regulation in the fly model?
clock neurons
mushroom bodies
central complex
Which neurons are implicated as circadian clock pacemakers in the fruit fly.
large and small ventral-lateral neurons
What type of receptor is NMDAR?
ionotropic glutamate receptor
What is rebound sleep?
the lengthening of REM sleep after long periods of sleep deprivation
What does the dTrpA1 gene do?
depolarizes neurons at a temperature above 25 degrees
What advantageous physical and characteristics of the fly model makes it ideal for studying sleep?
Flies sleep with a body posture stereotypical of mammals and at a preferred location.
What happens to calcium and NMDAR levels in response to sleep deprivation?
both increase
What are the two different types of GABA receptors and the differences between them?
GABAa is an inotropic channel and GABAb is a metabotropic receptor
What mechine/method most commonly measures sleep states in humans?
EEG
What does RNAi refer to in this paper?
The genome-wide transgenic RNA interference library is used in large-scale screens to understand specific knockdowns/gene functions in various model organisms.
What advantageous biological features does the fly model possess?
small body size
easy of handling
quick reproduction
short life cycle
only 4 sets of chromosomes
What role do the s-LNvs play?
promote sleep by suppressing the l-Lnvs
What neurotransmitter promotes wakefulness in flies?
dopamine, also some serotonin
What are the two processes that control sleep propensity?
homeostatic processes and circadian rhythm
What is the role of GAL4?
What is the role of UAS?
GAL4: transcriptional activator
UAS: enhancer
What feature of the fly genome suggests that a single gene mutation induces a strong phenotype?
because the genome holds a lower degree of redundancy, less overlap of similar genes
What role do the l-LNvs play?
promote arousal and the wake state
In addition to NMDAR, what molecules may also be involved in fly sleep regulation?
calcium-dependent K+ channels, voltage-gated calcium channels, calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinases, and calcium APTase
What is the importance of sleep in flies and mammals as concluded in Tomita et al.?
maintenance of neuronal plasticity and is essential for learning and memory
What is the GAL4-UAS system used for?
temporal regulation via temperature and chemical manipulations
What is the deficiency in the Shaker mutant (not specific to the cellular level, but big picture)?
decrease in non-REM sleep
What day is this PSET due?
8PM October 19th